spacetoday.net: space news from around the webin association with SpaceNews


Milky Way heavier than previously thought
Posted: Tue, Jan 6, 2009, 7:49 AM ET (1249 GMT)
Milky Way illustration from Jan 2009 (CfA) The Milky Way galaxy is more massive and spins faster than astronomers previously believed, scientists reported Monday. Astronomers used the Very Long Baseline Array radio telescope to measures distances and motions within the galaxy, finding that objects were moving faster than previous estimates. The solar system, for example, rotates around the galaxy at a speed of over 960,000 km/h, up from previous estimates of 800,000 km/h. That increase in rotation means the Milky Way's mass is 50 percent higher than before, now 3 trillion solar masses, making it similar in size to the nearby Andromeda Galaxy.
<<previous article   next article>>
news in brief
Space Force adds Rocket Lab and Stoke Space to NSSL contract
Posted: Sun, Mar 30 9:19 AM ET (1319 GMT)

Cygnus departs from ISS
Posted: Sun, Mar 30 9:14 AM ET (1314 GMT)

Vulcan Centaur certified for national security launches
Posted: Sun, Mar 30 9:10 AM ET (1310 GMT)

news links
Tuesday, April 1
Man who flew drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base sentenced
KSBY-TV San Luis Obispo, CA — 6:08 am ET (1008 GMT)


about spacetoday.net   ·   info@spacetoday.net   ·   mailing list